70
PERSONAL JOURNEYS
Desi Bartlett
Desi Bartlett, MS, CPT, E-RYT, is a leading pre- and postnatal yoga
expert. Desi holds advanced certifications in yoga, personal training,
pre- and postnatal fitness, and group fitness. She has worked with
several celebrity moms in Los Angeles.T.E. In what ways are a yin yoga practice bene cial during
the various stages of pregnancy?
D.B. We all carry yin and yang energy: feminine and masculine. Mas-
culine energy drives; it is all about action. Feminine energy receives.
Yin yoga allows us to receive a sense of calm. The longer holds can
also lead to a greater feeling of release in the hips and lower back. It
is important for the pregnant mama to make sure that she does not
try to achieve her deepest stretch in any pose, as the ligaments are a
bit lax with the spike of relaxin. However, she can go into a comfort-
able stretch and then meditate on all that she is receiving: a deeper
breath to share with her baby, a sense of calm in body and mind, and
being birthed as a mother.T.E. What positions and activities should a pregnant woman
avoid in her yin yoga practice?
D.B. It is contraindicated to lie flat on your back or on your right side for
extended periods of time during pregnancy. Lying flat or on the right
side can put pressure on the vena cava [the large vein carrying blood
to the heart], thus acting like a rock on a water hose; it compromises
the flow. It is important for the mom-to-be to modify her yin practice
so as to lift her head above her heart, or in poses like legs up the wall,
have a bolster under her low back, with the tailbone able to drape
over the front of the bolster.
Additionally, deep twists and prone positions (lying on your belly) are
contraindicated and must be modified to accommodate the woman's
changing body and to make space for the baby inside. It is important
to remember that the spikes in relaxin will make the woman's joints a